Triwizard Pilot
by HolyDragoon
Summary: Ten years ago, Harry was taken from the Dursleys by Remus. Now, Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire... but he's not even a Hogwarts Student! Not only that, but the winds of war are starting to blow once again... AC/HP X-over.
1. Trials and Rescues

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... apart from Adam, that is.  
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><p><span>Music: 15 Years Ago – Ace Combat 5 Soundtrack<span>

_In 1996, wizarding Britain was in the middle of a war. A wizard known as Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, were spreading terror among the population, targeting the wizards with Mundane relatives, who they gave the derogatory name of 'Mudbloods', and the Mundanes themselves, threatening the very Statute of Secrecy that protected the wizarding kind from the eyes of the Mundanes._

_In the All-Hallows eve of 1996, Lord Voldemort attacked a well-known wizarding family, the Potters. This family, along with a few other individuals led by Albus Dumbledore, were known as the Order of the Phoenix, which could be considered as Voldemort's greatest opponent._

_The Potters were protected with a Fidelius charm, whose Secret Keeper was believed to be Sirius Black. However he was just a decoy to distract the Death Eaters, as the true Secret Keeper was Peter Pettigrew. This led to a terrible disservice to Sirius Black, as it will be detailed on a later chapter. Pettigrew was a servant of the Dark Lord, and revealed the secret, allowing Voldemort to attack the Potters. In the ensuing battle, both James and Lily Potter were killed trying to protect their only son, Harry. However, as Voldemort turned his want on the young Harry, his Killing Curse was reflected, due to an ancient Blood Magic powered by Lily Potter's sacrifice, as later stated by Harry himself._

_Albus Dumbledore quickly saw that young Harry was placed with his relatives, protected by a ward. However, the elder wizard failed to ascertain the nature of the protection given by the ward, which triggered the attack on March 12, 2000._

_After the first defeat of the Dark Lord, the ICW opened an inquiry on the events of the war. The results shocked the members of the various countries, which gathered together and, casting away their preconceptions of Mundane technology, created the force now known as the 'Shadow Mirror'_ _Task Force in an effort to eliminate the bigotry that was rampant on Wizarding Britain._

_It is now known that Voldemort, who delved into the darkest magic, managed to survive from his defeat, living as a mere wraith until his return on 2010. While some wizards believed that a new war against Voldemort would eventually happen, nobody expected him to ally with some of the most despised people ever: the Belkan Grey Men._

_The Grey Men is the name given to the group of individuals that were behind the Nationalist faction that triggered the Belkan War, which marked one of the foulest dates on the eyes of mundane and wizard alike: June 6, 1995, The Waldriech Disaster, where seven nuclear weapons, Mundane devices of destruction, were detonated by Belka on their own soil, with the objective of preventing the progression of the Allied Forces. The final death toll is still being discussed, due to the after effects of the radiation on the survivors, but different sources agree on the loss of 12.000 people._

_The Grey Men did not stop, though. They disappeared into the shadows, manipulating tensions between the superpowers of Osea and Yuktobania, which culminated in the Circum-Pacific war of 2010, notable between the wizarding population as the first great intervention of the 'Shadow Mirror' Task Force._

_._

In_ 'Where Mundanes and Magicals Meet' – Justin and Padma Finch-Fletchey_

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**March 12, 2000, Surrey, ****Little Whinging's outskirts  
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Harry Potter was afraid.

It all began that afternoon, when he felt like he was being watched, like someone was very close... too close he would add when he was older. His relatives, however, did not believe him, as usual. When he was working on the garden, he had a glimpse of blue eyes staring at him, which made him even more scared. The final straw was when he burned dinner and Aunt Petunia started screaming at him. He didn't know how to cook yet, but the woman did not care. So he started running, crying. He didn't know for how long he ran, or walked when he finally got tired, but when he noticed it, he was in the middle of a forest and it was already dark. As he looked around, he realized he was lost. He was cold, he was lost, he was hungry... and the rustling of branches behind him meant he was not alone.

He turned his head in the direction of the sound, afraid of seeing a bogeyman or worse, Uncle Vernon coming out of the bushes there.

Suddenly, a dark blur jumped towards him, teeth bare in a creepy smile. Harry, already terrified, froze in the spot, his eyes glued to the... person approaching him. The person whose blue eyes belonged to.

He never thought a man could look so much like a beast. The man's pale face was framed by thin, greying hairs, so many that was hard to tell what was beard and what was hair. The man-beast landed mere meters away from the young boy, pausing to regard him, before his grin grew even wider.

His grin, however, quickly disappeared as he dodged a burst of red light. From the left came another man, with light brown hair and his face scarred from some kind of claw, pointing a wooden stick at the man-beast. "Step away, Greyback." the man snarled, pure loathing in his eyes.

"My, my. Remus Lupin... came to protect the Potter brat? I never thought you'd have the courage to go against that senile old fool." Greyback replied, his grin slowly returning. There was no way that coward Lupin would be a threat to him.

Harry's mind unfroze at hearing the name. Remus... it sounded familiar. It reminded him about safety... but who was he? He slowly stepped back, hoping the pair would not noticed him trying to get away. Step after step, he slowly gained distance, while the other two were locked in a contest of gazes. He was hoping he could run away, but when he turned his back to Greyback, the werewolf jumped at him. The little boy's short legs would be no match for the older man's powerful stride, but Lupin decided to intervene by tackling the Voldemort supporter. The man-beast shifted his attention to the other werewolf, punching him and attempting to literally take a piece of him. Lupin, somewhat used to bar brawls, fruit of a difficult life, managed to avoid some blows, but he was no match for someone as barbaric as Greyback. After a few minutes, he fell to the ground near Harry, thoroughly beaten, his want lying close, all but forgotten. The green-eyed child approached the man, trying hard to piece together his feelings with what he could remember... Remus... Remus... _Moony_. He remembered him now, maybe with a kinder face, yes, but it was him. He approached the fallen man. "Uncle Moony?" he whispered, shaking him lightly, but in vain. Nobody noticed a spark of magic jumping from him to the werewolf, or a flicker of light coming from Remus.

Greyback stalked closer, his grin even wider than before. "He's not going to help you now kid... don't worry, I don't bite... NOT!" he said, jumping once again towards the boy.

"Uncle Moony!"

Meanwhile, near the clearing, three men were chasing some beasts.

"Do you think they went this way?" asked one of the men, pointing his rifle around.

"I'm sure of it, Bartlett. I noticed an old friend of mine was also following them. I don't know what he was doing here, but I sure hope he wasn't looking to pick up a fight with them."

The third man, a balding brunet, shook his head. "Is he that suicidal, Adam?"

Adam shook his head. "He hasn't been himself since his friends were killed. I don't know much about it, though. These years of seclusion sure had their downsides to it. I couldn't find neither Black nor Pettigrew around, either. Maybe Voldemort found him. Let's-"

A scream pierced the air. Bartlett was the first to snap out of his stupor. "There's a kid in there! Let's go!" he said, running in the direction of the sound. The other two men nodded, and started running after their team-mate as well. They all knew what they were chasing, and if a kid was in the middle, there was no time to lose.

**.**

**Location Unknown**

**.**

Remus Lupin returned to consciousness startled. He quickly looked around, only to find himself in the same place he lost consciousness in... almost. While Spring was almost coming, this forest was covered in snow. On the skies, a full moon. The werewolf frowned. Where was he? What was he doing here? He suddenly remembered about Harry. He had to return there. As he started to look around, he heard a child's voice, just a small whisper. "Uncle Moony?" Remus frowned. He really needed to get back.

His return, however, would be delayed by a low growl. The man turned around, only to find the strangest sight ever. He unconsciously gripped his wand tighter. As if Greyback wasn't enough, he had to fight _his wolf form _now? "Step aside." he said, raising his wand.

"You want to save the cub?" the wolf asked, the voice grotesquely distorted by the werebeast's throat. Lupin raised an eyebrow, but to his credit, did not waver. "I said, step aside!"

Again, the beast replied. "No. You are on the brink of death. If you want to save the cub, if you want to _live_, if you want to finally be _free_, you must fight! Fight me and claim what's yours by right!" it said, before leaping towards the man.

Remus jumped to his left, rolling on the ground and rising to his knees. Somehow, the werewolf was gone again. He looked around, his eyes narrowed. The wolf was nowhere in sight. Only then he reminded himself to look at his back, but it was too late. The werewolf slashed his back, leaving four long marks. The Marauder screamed in pain, blindly twisting his torso, trying to hit the beast but missing. When he turned around, it was gone again.

'This is going to be a game for him, time and time again...' the man thought, trying desperately to find a plan, as the wolf managed to get a couple more hits on him. It would be easy to just give up, there's no way he could win... why bother fighting?

The Gryffindor part of him had a response ready. Harry. Prongs' kid needed him alive, not dead. He didn't look everywhere for him just to give up when he found him. He watched the boy, trying to find out if he was happy. Harry deserved better. The man clutched his free hand until the fingernails dug into his palm, the brave side finally winning the battle that rages inside him for years. It was an epiphany. Where did his self-loathing take him? Nowhere useful, that's for sure. Time to change that.

His mind now free from doubts, he started to think clearly about how to win. He needed to get the wolf before the wolf got him... he needed to be faster, yes, but... it's not like the wolf would slow down for...

'That's it!' he finally realized, hearing the soft noise of feet hitting the snow. There was only one chance for this. The wolf was running towards him once again. "Got you!" he shouted, spinning on the balls of his feet and pointing his hand directly to the chest of his opponent. _"Lancea Ardens!" _he said, conjuring a spear of flames that flew towards the werewolf. The beast, with no chance to dodge, was impaled straight through the heart, killing it instantly.

'So much for the werewolf endurance.' the man thought bitterly, as he saw the corpse falling to the floor and, much to his surprise, turning into a golden mist. His surprises were not over, though.

"By will and skill you passed your trial, the secret hidden inside the magic of a werewolf. Wield your new-found strength and save the cub, now GO!"

Lupin nodded, recognizing the voice's urging. However, as he started to move, he felt darkness take him once again. Did he fail? But why did his senses become even sharper? Shouldn't they grow dimmer?

Once again, Harry's voice ceased his thoughts. "Uncle Moony!"

Making an effort to see beyond the darkness, Remus found himself back into the real world. His wonderment at his return was short-lived, as he saw Greyback lunging towards the boy.

However, he wouldn't have none of that. Grabbing Harry, Remus rolled out of the way, quickly getting to his feet and facing the beast that bit him in the first place. He lowered his stance, his feet far from each other and his fists near his face. The man threw himself at him, but Remus, somehow, knew he could react on time. His left hand lunged forwards and landed a solid hit on the werewolf's face, breaking his nose. The Marauder did not stop, and he quickly used his right hand to grab his opponent's throat, throwing him somewhere far from Harry. He was tired of this rabid dog running around, ruining other people's lives. Remus Lupin was set on ending Greyback's tale, who was close to a beast than to a human, here. He wandlessly summoned his wand back to him, and pointed it at the recovering werewolf. _"Frangere!" _he whispered, sending a grey beam of light towards the man-beast. Sadly, Fenrir managed to avoid the attack and try to blind-side Remus. He did not count on something, though. The Remus Lupin that lost consciousness moments before was not the same that was fighting him right now. The Remus Lupin that was now standing before him had become something else by fighting his curse while being one step away from the gates of Death. And he was _pissed off_. Fenrir Greyback, for all of his brutish strength, was now meeting someone that could beat him up to death with a rolled paper.

And he was the only one that couldn't see that. He charged once again towards the former Gryffindor, only for Remus to do a sidestep raising his wand like a matador and once again performing the Shattering Curse.

This time, his aim was true. The greyish beam of light hit Greyback's skull, caving it in and causing the bone fragments to critically damage his brain. The most savage werewolf of wizarding Britain fell to the ground, his reign of terror finally over by the hand of one of his victims.

However, Fenrir's death was not the end of that skirmish. Remus could only look in horror as five other werewolves appeared before him. Even with the abilities that came from his victory over lycanthropy, there was no way he could beat five of them at once.

Fate had other plans, though. "Remus! Down!" a voice barked out, and the former werewolf quickly complied, covering Harry as well. A bang was heard, followed by muffled sounds of Muggle weapons. A minute or so later, a hand tapped his shoulder. "It's over now. Good to see you again, mate."

Remus slowly lifeted his head, only to meet the friendly green eyes of a blond he knew all too well. "Adam?" he asked slowly, almost as if it was an illusion that would vanish at any moment. His friend, the nice Hufflepuff that was always around in the Library or when Prongs and... the other one were in detention... there?

The man laughed. "That's right Remus, I'm finally back. What was on your mind, coming to face these werewolves by yourself?"

Lupin shook his head. "I was looking after Harry here. He suddenly ran away from home, crying and then..."

"Harry? Little Harry? I tried to know what happened as soon as I returned... Everyone's gone..."

"Black." Remus spat the name, like it was something foul. Adam shook his head in negation. "More like Pettigrew." he said sadly. "I was the one who cast the Fidelius charm. Sirius was nothing but a decoy... was he killed?"

The Marauder looked at his long time friend with wide eyes. "You mean...? Sirius was arrested! I thought..."

"Arrested? Son of a... I've got to clear that up, and soon." the former 'Puff shook his head. "How could they arrest him? Usage of Veritaserum would clear him instantly."

Remus blinked. "He kept saying that he killed them, but on the other hand... Ooh." he moaned, feeling an headache coming.

Adam noticed that, and helped his friend get to his feet. "Come on, I know a place where you can rest. Do you have to send Harry back home?"

The former Gryffindor shook his head in denial. "I watched how he lived. There's no way he's going to return to those people... but I don't know what to do... I'm a werewolf... or I should be registered as one... I don't know any more, I feel so different..."

The blond nodded, pulling his wand out and pointing it at Remus. "Only one way to find out... _'M__aledicta Revelare'_"

To the Marauder's surprise, the spell did not detect anything on him. Adam repeated the curse several times, and all the results were negative as well. The man chuckled. "Congratulations, you're not a werewolf. I read something like that once, but... do you remember anything special that might have happened?" seeing Remus nod in agreement, he quickly waved his hand. "Tell me later. You and Harry are coming with me, and then I'm going to solve a whole slew of messes, and make a job proposal to you, and... look at me, I completely forgot. Remus, meet Jack Bartlett, from Osea." he said, pointing to a brunet with his hair cut close, who gave a small wave as a greeting. "And Peter Beagle, as he likes to be called, coming from Osea as well... at least in the papers." he muttered this last part, while pointing to an older, balding man, who nodded in response.

Remus nodded back to both man, before remembering something on Adam's rather... excited speech. "Job proposal?"

The man nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes. I'll tell you everything later." he winked. The former werewolf sighed. If this guy was a Gryffindor, he'd be a Marauder for sure. A gentle tug on his trousers drew his attention to the four-years old that he was looking after. "Hey Harry," he said. "you remember me, right?" he asked gently, receiving a happy nod from the child. "Do you want to come with me? I don't think you'll need to return to the place you were before." he smiled as the boy's green eyes seemed to widen in anticipation. "Yes!"

Remus laughed, as he grabbed the boy and started walking away from the clearing. "Let's go then..." he said, before sniffing the air, frowning. "You need a bath, you know?" he said playfully.

Harry just giggled in response.

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><p><strong>Now, I guess you'll need some explanations, right?<strong>

**So, this is sort of a crossover with the Ace Combat universe that's set on Strangereal. However, regarding geography, the different nations are a bit different, as I placed Strangereal nations on our 'regular continents'**

**The differences thus far are the following:**

**Russia - Yuktobania (this one is kinda obvious, but its placing is so convenient...)**

**USA are gone, Canada is Alaska plus some terrain, as North America is composed by:**

**Osea (Mexico as well), Belka, Ustio, Ratio (sp?), Sapin, Nordland, Wielvakia, Recta, Gebet. Relative positions are very similar to the Strangereal map, meaning Osea is on the left, then comes Belka, then the following nations;**

**Greenland - Wellow;**

**Aurelia/Leasath - Southern South America, I'll cover that on later chapters, so it may still change;**

**Australia - Usea, Erusea, North Point, Amber, Ugellas, San Salvación, Delarus;**

**The other countries shall remain the same as they are right now. It may sound strange, but it was this or stamp Hogwarts on Strangereal and run away screaming.**

**Now, regarding spells:**

**Lancea Ardens - Burning Spear**  
><strong>Frangere - Break<strong>  
><strong>Maledicta Revelare - Reveal the Curses<strong>

**At last, sorry for not having Harry talk too much. This is only a chapter to show what happened in the past. The story will happen during 2009/2010 term (yes, I'm using the Strangereal calendar), when Harry is 14.**


	2. The Fourth Champion

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the original characters.**

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><p><strong>Hogwarts<strong>

**.**

The noise on the room fell to a whisper as soon as the Goblet suddenly decided to spit a fourth name. Albus Dumbledore stared at the paper like it had more heads than a Hydra. What the hell just happened? He slowly opened the paper, and his heart almost stopped at the name inside. It was fairly impossible to be there, he was sure of it, but the contract was effective from the moment the Goblet chose the name, even if it was the result of a glitch.

"Harry Potter."

The whispers were replaced by silence. Harry Potter? But there was no one there named Harry Potter. The students eyed each other, waiting for an explanation.

Eventually, the Headmaster of Hogwarts sighed wearily. "If you excuse me, I shall endeavour a quick investigation on this, in order to find our... fourth champion." he said, before moving into the side room where the remaining champions were already.

As soon as he entered, everybody's eyes glued themselves in the piece of parchment on the Headmaster's hand. "Albus," said Madame Maxine, "why did the Goblet...?"

"I do not know, Olympe. The name is from someone that's not even a student in any of our schools, and I suspect it isn't a willing participant."

Karkaroff snorted. "Who is it, then?"

"Harry Potter." He said, showing the name on the piece of parchment. Everybody's eyes threatened to jump out of their heads. Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? Karkaroff snarled. "Well, where is he, then?"

The half-giantess rolled her eyes. "Igor, Albus already said he isn't a student from our schools. I do know where he is enrolled, yes, but how will we contact him? They don't have a fixed school."

Albus nodded. "I happen to keep contact with a former student of mine that is with Mr. Potter. If you excuse me." he walked towards a fireplace nearby, and took a flask of Floo powder out of the pocket. "Allenfort Wizards!" he said after throwing the green powder. "Remus, are you there?"

Moments later, the voice of Remus Lupin was heard from the emerald fire. "Albus, good to hear from you. What is the matter?"

"Remus, I'm afraid I don't bear good news. I'm here with Olympe Maxime and Igor Karkaroff. Someone slipped a piece of parchment with Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire."

The shock was audible in Remus' voice. "How? Harry is not even a student, how could his name be accepted, much less selected?"

"It is my belief that the Goblet has been tampered with." Albus said gravely.

Karkaroff snarled. "More like the brat found a way to slip the parchment in!" Unfortunately for him, Remus heard it and quickly replied. "I will not tolerate your accusations. Officer Cadet Potter," he stressed the rank, "is my ward and has proven himself to be an example for the 'Shadow Mirrors' Officer School Military Academy. Not to mention we are on ISAF territory since last June. But I'll call Harry nonetheless. Wait a moment please."

The people on the room waited patiently as the wizard on the other side went to call the fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament. After a few minutes, Harry's wary voice was heard. "Yes, may I help you?"

Albus and Olympe smiled for different reasons, but similar feelings. "Well met Harry. Has Remus told you what happened?" Asked the Hogwarts Headmaster.

"Yes, he did. I suppose you want my Oath to prove I did not intend to participate in the Tournament at all?"

"I believe that you did not intend to participate at all, but I'd be thankful if you made the Oath to let everybody here know for sure you're not to blame." Albus said, forgetting the fact that Harry could not see his kind smile at all.

"Very well. I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my life and magic that I did not intend to participate on the Triwizard Tournament nor did anything to ensure my name was placed on the Goblet of Fire. So mote it be!" the boy waited for a second or so before speaking again. "As it seems, I am still alive, and Uncle Remus... pardon, Colonel Lupin is witnessing my cast of a _Lumos._ May I go now?"

"Yes you may, Harry. Thank you for your cooperation" said Dumbledore. Madame Maxime just smiled, knowing this would happen anyway. She met the former werewolf and the green-eyed boy some years before, in a quick visit from the ICW's Military Academy. Despite sharing only a few words with them, they left a very positive impression on the headmistress.

Remus' voice was once again heard from the flames. "Very well, now that Harry proved that he is not involved in this mess, what should be done?"

Albus Dumbledore shook his head, regretting the fact that he did not voice his concerns regarding the Tournament. "Remus, a magical contract was activated as soon as Harry's name left the Goblet. He will have to participate in the tournament."

"Is there any chance to declare the contract void on the basis of Harry's name having been placed unwillingly?"

The old wizard sighed. "I'm afraid not Remus. The contract itself is very old and the people who wrote it never expected this to happen.

"... I see." it was clear that Lupin was pissed off with the current events. "I'll report this to my superior. Olympe, you remember Major General Howlingdale, right?"

"Yes, I do. I assume he will be the one to represent the Military Academy, then?"

"Yes. We'll be at Hogwarts tomorrow night. Is there anything else? I have to make preparations for tomorrow's trip."

Albus shook his head. "Please tell your superior that I'm sorry for forcing this on you. That is all Remus. Thanks for your help."

"Very well. Remus Lupin, out."

**.**

**Allenfort Air Base, Adam Howlingdale's Office.**

**.**

"So, let me see if I got this straight. Somebody, that shall be referred from now on as 'the fu-'." He paused, regaining his cool. "My apologies. Somebody just found a way to mess up with an ancient artefact and just forced Harry to participate in the Triwizard Tournament?"

"In a nutshell, you got it all right Adam." Remus replied with a sigh. Harry, standing by his side, was still unsure of the whole ordeal that was just placed before him, although his primary emotion was a deep disappointment for missing the flight classes from ISAF's ace Mobius 1.

"Motherfucker!" cursed Adam, pounding his fist on the table. "This is a sick joke. A punk decides to have some fun and messes with someone else's life. I'll have to prepare a contingent of students to go with Harry, then."

"Sir," said Harry, "If I may, I'd rather leave everybody here and just go the three of us. We're training with the ISAF's best, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for my fellow cadets to be denied this opportunity. Besides," he grinned. "I'm sure Sirius can hold the ship with Group Captain Foulke and Wing Commander Almer."

Adam eyed Harry sadly. "Harry, your hand is being forced. I'm sure the other cadets would volunteer to go with you and provide moral support."

The boy shook his head. "I know, but I'd rather make a small sacrifice and let them enjoy this chance to learn from some of the best."

"I'll trust your judgement on this Harry, but I'll relay your reasons to the other cadets. They deserve to know why they aren't coming as well. Pack up and get some rest. We'll take an international Portkey to England and then I'll see if I can use the floo to get to Hogsmeade. We can walk the rest of the way to Hogwarts. They will provide a space for you to stay."

Harry nodded. "Understood."

Remus was frowning. "I'm concerned with the tasks. What should Harry do? On one hand, he just needs to be there to be counted as participating, but on the other..."

"If Harry doesn't even try to do the tasks, we'll be the laughing stock of some pureblood assholes." finished Adam, rubbing his temples. "Harry? What's your opinion on this?"

The cadet seemed surprised. "My opinion?" he asked, thinking about the reasons stated by his two friends and adoptive family. "I think... I think I should do my best. It's the Academy's reputation that is at stake here."

"All right then Harry. I'm having you explain to Sirius this whole mess, though." said Lupin, thinking about the fuss the ex-Azkaban inmate would make.

Sirius Black was never the same since his unfair imprisonment, refusing to take Harry's guardianship, stating he would be 'a shoddy guardian that failed him already'. He would keep that burden on his shoulder for the rest of his days, although it was slightly lightened by the fact that he was always close to his godson, going as far as becoming one of the members of the 'Shadow Mirrors', ending up as the deputy head of the Land Forces, who were being currently led by Remus.

Harry winced. "He'll have a seizure when he realized we're leaving him behind... oh well, it's not like he doesn't owe us from that night."

His guardian shook his head. "Don't remind me of that, Harry. I'll never be able to look at a pineapple the same way as I used to do."

"You mean you won't be able to look at any pineapple without having a laughing fit." quipped Adam, who was there as well.

As it turns out, the three of them had to help Sirius with getting out of an alley fight after he... inserted a pineapple on a body cavity of a rapist that he caught just before the act. Eight gang members went in... none came out conscious, and one of them looked like a table decoration, with the pineapple sticking out of his...

When inquired about how he managed to squeeze a pineapple in there, Black only answered with "Magic, of course." That still pissed the other three men until today. Cheeky bastard.

"All right then. Harry, don't forget we need to make our best impression. Wear your best dress uniform, please. You may go, I need to talk to Pixy about this."

Both Remus and Harry saluted and left the room. As they closed the door, Adam reclined on his chair. "Bloody hell," he muttered, "this must be the craziest situation I've ever seen myself into. I hope Harry can handle it."

**.**

**Hogwarts, Outside**

**.**

The day had slowly passed, the hands of the clock seeming to move at half their usual speed. Dumbledore had made a simple statement the previous evening, informing the students that Harry Potter would enter the Tournament as the fourth Champion, forced to participate against his will due to someone's prank. However, the tone of his voice and the fury in his eyes told everyone that the Hogwarts' Headmaster was not happy with that.

Now, the students were waiting for the Fourth Champion just outside the Great Hall's door. Considering the show given by Beauxbatons and Durmstrang the previous evening, they were wondering how would the new delegation introduce itself to their fellow schools.

Little did they know they would be severely let down. While they were enthusiastically looking around for some great, enchanted means of transportation, they totally missed the three wizards approaching them, carrying small duffel bags and dressed in what Muggle-born students would recognize as military uniforms under a leather coat. Their caps were decorated with the same emblem, a strangely cute ghost and his reflection on the other side. They managed to approach the crowd of students that was near the entrance without being noticed by anyone... or so they thought. Dumbledore discreetly walked next to them and tapped Adam on the shoulder. "Well met, Adam, Remus. It's good to see you again. And this must be young Harry. I must say, those uniforms fit you three quite well."

Adam grinned. "Thanks Professor. Now, how long do you think the students will take until their attention is diverted elsewhere?"

The elder Headmaster chuckled. "Oh, right about now." he said.

True to his word, the students started looking at each other, some making jeering remarks about the apparent absence of the fourth School, while other merely wondered if something happened on the way there. Nobody spared a second glance at the Academy delegation, whose elements were grinning at the blatant display of idiocy of some students. Slowly, the crowd trickled inside, taking their seats at the tables on the Great Hall, complaining about the waste of time that it was. Dumbledore was one of the last to go in, winking at Remus before sitting on the table.

The three wizards left their duffel bags on the entry room, where a trio of house-elves quickly took them to their quarters. With that business taken care of, the opened the doors to the hall and walked resolutely towards the teacher's table, side-by-side.

The student body fell silent at once at the sight of the threesome. Some winced, realizing they had seen them already outside. Others eyed them in fascination, noting their dress uniforms their stern faces, and the ceremonial weapons resting inside their sheathes, hanging from the belt. Most eyes jumped to the forehead of the young cadet, denouncing him as Harry Potter.

Adam mentally grinned at some of the students' faces. 'Serves them right.' he thought. 'Teach them to pay attention to detail'.

They stopped right in front of Professor Dumbledore, who nodded to them before addressing the other students. "Students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, it is my pleasure to announce the delegation from the Shadow Mirror Military Academy. I wish you all can give them a warm welcome and make them feel at home."

Utter silence met his words. Nobody moved a muscle, their minds ranging between embarrassment, uneasiness, hostility or flat out shyness.

No one in the Academy group felt welcome there, that's for sure. "Sir, is there any possibility of getting dinner in our appointed space? I don't think we're being received with open arms over here." Harry whispered, carefully hiding his mouth with his gloved hand.

"Can the formalities while we're at here, Harry." advised Adam. "Let's wait a little longer, then we'll ask for something to the elves on the kitchens," he smiled. "I still remember what to do to get there. Good times those... apart from the nutjob running outside."

Meanwhile, the Hogwarts Champion studied intently the newcomer. He had heard about the ICW's task force, of course, but he had to admit there was nothing legendary about Harry Potter. The boy wasn't particularly tall or strong. In fact, the most interesting features on the Boy-Who-Lived would be his green eyes and the discoloured scars on the right side of his face, possibly burn marks. Cedric shook his head. Everybody kept staring at the boy, but no-one bothered to actually move and welcome him to Hogwarts. So, the kid is alone, on a strange place, and he's received like this? The Hufflepuff slapped the table and jumped to his feet, walking briskly towards the fourth Champion. "Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts champion. Pleased to meet you."

Harry looked at the brunet who approached him without changing his facial expression. He was caught by surprise when the boy extended his hand to greet him. The young cadet blinked twice, and then shook the hand with a smile. "Cadet Officer Harry Potter, SMMA Champion. Pleased to meet you as well."

The Hufflepuff raised an eyebrow. "SMMA?"

"It stands for 'Shadow Mirror Military Academy'. As I am forced to compete, I figure I should do so on my school's name."

"Oh," Cedric nodded, "that makes sense. Look, I noticed you are here on your own, so I'd like to invite you to eat with us at the Hufflepuff table."

Harry quickly glanced towards Remus and Adam, who nodded/winked at him in approval. "I'm grateful for your generosity." he said.

A few minutes later, with the three newcomers settled in, dinner was officially started. Harry quickly felt integrated with the 'Puffs, thanks in part to Cedric's actions, who sparked the inherent loyalty of the Hufflepuffs.

"So, Harry... may I call you Harry?" asked a boy around his age, who had introduced himself previously as Justin Finch-Fletchley. The young cadet nodded. "I'm currently off duty, so feel free to call me Harry."

The Hufflepuff nodded. "Thanks. You said you were a Cadet Officer. Do you have branches in the Academy?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, we do. We have the Air Division and the Ground Division. I'm an Air Division cadet, and I'm studying to become a fighter pilot."

Justin whistled. "Wow, that's some career. Have you flown by yourself already?"

Harry smiled. "Not until I'm 18, unless I manage to get lucky and receive a special permission to start piloting earlier. I'm cleared to fly in trainer aircraft and some two-seated jet fighters, though. Before I came here, I had a test flight in a F-4."

Another boy, who was sitting next to Justin, made a confused face. "What's a jet fighter?"

The future pilot thought for a few seconds, trying to find an explanation. "It's a bit hard to explain... a jet fighter is a Mundane... a Muggle airplane" he said, noticing the confused look that the boy gave him when he mentioned Mundane, "They're like Firebolts and Nimbus brooms, only they are larger, armed and used for war."

"Oh, you mean those planes with two or three wings piled up?" the boy asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion, before understanding what he meant with that."Oh, those are way older. I have a picture on my bag of the F-4 I flew, I could show it to you later, if you want."

"So, Harry, where were you before coming here?" asked Justin, now that his friend's curiosity had been satisfied.

"I was at Allenfort Air Base, studying with the ISAF" he said, earning many gasps from the Muggle-raised. "Did you see Mobius 1?" one of them, a familiar-looking blonde, asked.

"We were studying with him." the green-eyed boy replied, staring into the distance. "The first time we met him, he was flying... no, not flying. He was making his plane dance gracefully in the air. 'Ace of Aces' indeed..." he trailed off, remembering how awed he was at the show provided by the ISAF's ace. He snapped out of his reverie, though, and grabbed his goblet. "It was inspiring, Miss..."

"Abbott. Hannah Abbott" the girl replied.

Harry choked on his drink. He placed the goblet back on the table, coughing while Cedric was trying to help him by tapping on his back. When he finally started coughing, he managed to direct an inquiring glance to the girl. "Are you a relative of Captain Gabriel Abbott?" he asked anxiously.

The girl looked puzzled, "He's my dad, how do you know him? He wasn't from your branch."

"No he wasn't, but he..." answered Harry, rubbing his burn scars, "... he saved my life."

* * *

><p><strong>So, the story itself starts... I think some fans of giant robots my recognize where the Shadow Mirrors come from. Don't worry, they're not like the canon ones.<strong>

**Well, stay tuned for the next parts.**

**See ya!**


	3. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series are not mine, same for everyone and everything other than Adam and Gabriel. End of file.**

* * *

><p>"No he wasn't, but he..." answered Harry, rubbing his burn scars, "... he saved my life."<p>

The room was silent, waiting for the young cadet to explain what happened. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes closed as he recalled the scorching heat that gave him his scars. "I don't really want to talk about it, it is rather... painful."

The other teenagers nodded, understanding the green-eyed wizard's unwillingness. "So," asked Hannah, trying to save the conversation, "you must have been to a lot of places already, if I recall all the travelling that my father used to do..."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, every year is in a different air base. Last year we were at Hickam Air Force Base... nice waves, good weather, best academy year ever."

"Uh, where's Hickam?"

The cadet turned his head towards the third year that had asked the question. "Hawaii." he simply said, eliciting a chorus of jealous groans from the Hufflepuffs. The boy grinned as he took a piece of treacle fudge. "Not my fault I happen to go to great places. Allenfort wasn't too shabby, either. Not as warm as Hickam, but warm enough to make us spent our free time on the beach."

The Hufflepuffs grunted again. Cedric, however, grinned mischievously. "You must meet a lot of ladies, then."

Harry suddenly looked very embarrassed. "Ummm, yeah, sort of," he stammered, remembering about the several times where Sirius tried to make him 'get a bird, and I don't mean some wings', "I met some pretty nice ones."

That's when he realized he just fell into a trap, as the other boys started waggling their eyebrows. Harry palmed his face. "Get your mind out of the gutter, please..." he muttered, receiving a roaring laugh from the boys around him.

Meanwhile, the other houses and the teachers stared at the Hufflepuffs, watching them banter with the newcomer as it was one of them already. Some people sneered at the sight, muttering about lack of loyalty to Hogwarts. The foreign students were mildly surprised. They never thought the wizards and witches from the badger house to welcome people as warmly as they did. More than one magical from Beauxbatons wondered if they hadn't sit at the wrong table. Not that the Ravenclaws were bad hosts, but there seemed to be a noticeable... stiffness in their interactions with the French school. Sprout looked at her badgers with pride, while Dumbledore's twinkle was at full force. Snape... well, Snape was being his usual Snape-ish self, much to the amusement of Adam, who rolled his eyes at seeing the expression on the Potion Master's face. 'Always the same old prat.' the Major General thought, a grin appearing on his face as he imagined Harry's reaction if Snape decided to pick on him during class.

The rest of the dinner went fairly well, and it was a lighter-hearted Harry that went to the private rooms that night. He had to admit, he was very curious about the arrangements made by Headmaster Dumbledore, and couldn't wait to watch the space that he would call home for the next few months. He accidentally tuned out the chatter between Professor McGonagall, Remus and Adam, focusing instead on studying his surroundings, noting every statue and painting, or even checking for patterns on the movement of the stairways. Every piece of knowledge would be useful to move around the school, as it was fairly obvious the centuries-old building had a mind of its own. Remus and Adam had already told him about it, but one thing is hearing from others, and another is seeing by yourself. He never imagined things would be that complex, as he watched McGonagall ignore one door and touch the wall right next to it. He stopped for a second, tilting his head, an unasked question in his face.

Remus chuckled, and pointed to the wall McGonagall had touched, revealing a second door. Harry raised his eyebrows, and opened the first door, realizing there was only solid wall beyond it. A defence mechanism, and a clever one at that.

"Mr. Potter," asked the Transfiguration teacher, "now that your curiosity is sated, could we proceed? Your rooms are just ahead." she asked, trying to hide a smile at the boy's embarrassed face.

"Uh... sorry." the boy replied sheepishly. The witch shook her head. "Don't worry, your reaction is quite usual. There's always something you never noticed before, even after being here for as long as I do." The two older wizards on the group nodded, undoubtedly remembering about their time as students here.

After a few more meters, the stern witch stopped right in front of a painting depicting, surprisingly enough, a castle gate. Harry knew better than to thing that was a simple painting by now, so he watched as the professor seemed to examine the painting closely before pressing one of the hinges. The painting suddenly moved to the side, revealing a set of double doors that McGonagall promptly opened.

Once inside, Harry looked around, admitting to himself that this was a rather comfortable living room. A fire was burning in the fireplace, a couch and several club chairs, all surrounding a pine wood coffee table. There was also a round table on the centre of the room, with enough space to allow several people to work on their tasks with space to spare. The room itself was well-lit, courtesy of several lamps placed on the walls, and the floor was covered with a carpet coloured in a tone of green that reminded Harry of a lush field.

"Your rooms are connected to this room," McGonagall said, indicating three doors on the side walls "and each bedroom has its own private bathroom. Of course, the living room also has a bathroom." she pointed to the last door, made of a different wood from the previous ones. The witch stood silent for a moment, trying to remember if there was something else to say. "Oh, right. Mr. Potter, your class schedule will be given to you tomorrow at breakfast by Professor Sprout. As you are the sole student from your school, you'll have your classes along with the Hufflepuff fourth years. I know it is a Sunday, but please, be there. Does this arrangement suit you?"

"Yes ma'am." the green-eyed wizard replied. "I wake up early anyway, so it won't be a problem at all."

"Very good. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. I hope you enjoy your stay here at Hogwarts." she said, smiling at the trio. "Likewise, Professor McGonagall." they said as she left the room.

"So, Harry," started the former werewolf after the three men were comfortably settled on the sofas, "what do you think about Hogwarts?"

Harry did not answer immediately, his face thoughtful. "... exquisite," he finally said, "I find the way things change to be pretty interesting. Not to mention useful, in case the school is under attack and the invaders are inside."

Adam nodded. "That's the main reason behind all this stuff, although the magic on the school has a sort of personality that is quite... quirky."

The cadet shook his head. "I just hope the quirkiness doesn't land me in trouble. By the way, who was the Sneering one sitting at the table? I saw his face once or twice and he doesn't seem to like me very much, does he?"

Remus scratched his head. "That's Severus Snape, he teaches Potions. He and your father... didn't go along. You heard the story already, we made some mistakes back then, and Snape isn't one to forgive and forget."

The boy's eyes took a steely glint. "Permission to hand him his arse in case he picks on me? I'm not going to stay quiet if he hates the son for the mistakes of the father."

"Denied." replied Adam. "At least in the physical sense. If he picks on you, you just need to leave the room, I'll handle Dumbledore. You are free to give him one of your 'talks' before leaving, though, although I advise you to show him you're no slouch on his field."

Harry leaned on his chair. "What are you suggesting?"

The former Hufflepuff grinned. "Show him that little invention. You know, your magical coating."

Harry facepalmed. "You're not thinking about that little prank we pulled on Sirius, are you?"

"No, Severus has no sense of humour. That prank backfired on us, don't you forget that."

Remus snorted. "Trust Sirius to use aircraft lubricant for completely unrelated things. Of all things, massage oil?"

The other two wizard shook their heads. "I'm not even going to try to think of it. Anyway, I guess showing the potion to Professor Snape is worth a shot. I think I brought the research as well."

"Severus loves potions, and your mother was an excellent brewer and friends with him. I'm sure he'll mellow out to you if you remind him you're Lily's son as well."

The boy nodded slowly. "I'll do that. No sense in burning bridges right on the beginning. But he better not push be before I talk to him."

"We wouldn't have it any other way Harry. After all, we taught you that."

"Right," the fourth Champion laughed sadly, "and it took quite a while to actually do it. Don't look at me with that face," he added, seeing the worried glances the elder wizards gave him, "it's in the past now. Gone, and not coming back."

Both officers said nothing, but the expressions on their faces softened. Harry shook his head. "I'm going to sleep. Good night."

**.**

**Hufflepuff Common Room**

**.**

Cedric Diggory was an intrigued wizard.

Harry Potter, someone that every wizard and witch around his age saw as a hero, was nothing like the picture that was made of him. While all the books showed him as the stereotypical fairy tale hero, the real Harry was someone almost normal, apart from the burn scars on his face, reminding everybody he is just another human being that happened to be a part of important events in history. Sure, his eyes had a certain hint of sternness, but he also looked like someone that was friendly towards others, never regarding them as someone inferior, unlike some purebloods that pranced around full of themselves. Cedric knew that his decision was the right one, and was looking forward to build a friendship with the youngest Champion.

Meanwhile, in the Fourth Year Girls' dorm, Susan was looking sceptically at his long time friend.

"Come on Hannah, your father saved Harry Potter and never told a soul about it? You must be kidding me!"

The blonde shook her head. "I'm not joking Susan. He only told us he was part of a rescue operation, nothing else. I always thought he didn't recognize anyone at the time, he did say things were pretty ugly out there, but he never gave any details."

"That bad, huh?"

"Seems so, especially after seeing Harry's face, both the expression and the scars."

"It's... strange," Susan said slowly, trying to put into words the impression she got from the newcomer, "he's our age, but seems... older."

Hannah nodded. "Yeah, the way he acts... it just tells you not to mess with him, but he's pretty nice, that's the strangest part."

The redhead sighed. "And that uniform didn't exactly hide the fact that he seems to be pretty fit, eh Hannah? You surely noticed it, seeing as you were staring at him and almost drooling." she teased her friend.

"It's not like that!" the blonde replied, blushing, "I was curious, all right? And those scars sure don't help."

"Uh-huh. Why don't you admit that he impressed you?"

"I never said that he didn't, but not on the way you're thinking of. You know me, I don't fall for the first guy I see."

Susan grinned. "But he's Harry Potter. You're not telling me you never dreamed of him."

Hannah sighed. "Yes, I dreamed about Harry Potter, but I guess half of the girls on Britain dream about him. But that's the point, it's just a dream, just something we imagined."

"Calm down Hannah, I'm just kidding. Sometimes you take things too seriously. But let's be honest, you wouldn't mind knowing him better, would you?"

"I'm hoping he attends the same class as us, actually." she admitted sheepishly. "So yeah, I'd like to know him better, but that's normal, I guess. Anyway, it's getting late now, we should get some sleep. Good night Susan."

Susan cast a time spell, noting that it was later than she thought. "Yeah, you're right," she said, adjusting her pillow, "Good night Hannah."

**.**

**Hogwarts Great Hall**

**.**

Harry entered the great hall after his morning exercises with Remus and Adam. It was a routine he picked up on the Academy, and the fact that he was at Hogwarts right now was no excuse to slack off. He walked towards the Hufflepuff table, where a few students were already having their breakfast.

"Good morning Cedric." the green-eyed wizard greeted his fellow Champion.

"Oh, Good morning Harry. How was your first night at Hogwarts?" asked the brunet, wiping his lips with his napkin.

"Very comfortable." Harry replied, looking around to check the food selection for breakfast. "I must admit, Hogwarts knows how to play host." he said, preparing a bowl of muesli.

"That's good to know. I was wondering about how the Headmaster handled that, with you having to be here in record time and everything..."

"From what I've seen from the school so far, it doesn't surprise me that those rooms were available. After all, I doubt half of the castle is regularly used, after all. I wonder what the Founders had in mind back then."

"Hmm, that's a good question," mused Cedric, "I read _Hogwarts: A History_ and I don't remember seeing any answers for your question. I think we just accepted the castle as is and never questioned ourselves about that."

Harry paused for a moment, thinking about something. "Maybe the magical population was bigger back then?"

Cedric shook his head. "I have no idea. You'd have to ask a Ravenclaw about that. It is true that the magical population declined this last few years, but after Grindelwald and You-Know-Who..."

"True, those two did a number to the wizarding population, it is a bit hard to make comparisons. But now that I think of it, the castle may have been deliberately oversized."

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"Doors that open, only to reveal walls. It would be pretty frustrating for an invader, but if you add the fact that the invader might end up on an empty classroom, that would make anyone go nuts."

The elder champion chuckled. "Now that you mention it, it makes sense. By the way, I had a question last night that I forgot to ask: why do you keep moving around, instead of having a fixed place for the academy?"

"It was a decision from the Security Council, we make a rotating schedule between seven bases. They say it's to improve the cooperation spirit between the Shadow Mirrors and the Mundanes, but I guess it is to share resources and avoid spending on infrastructure and equipment for a fixed academy. The good part of it is that we get used to fly in every weather. There's one base that gets poor weather conditions most of the year. Planes can lift off and land, but it is very annoying having days after days of rain."

"Yeah, I understand that. The weather here is cold, but at least we get a sunny day every now and then."

"Mr. Potter?" asked a third voice. Both Harry and Cedric turned toward the source of the voice, the head of the Hufflepuff house, Pomona Sprout. "I'd like to deliver you your schedule. Surely Professor McGonagall informed you about it?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, she did." he said, accepting the parchment with his schedule. "Thank you Professor. By the way, did Major General Howlingdale speak with you?"

"Oh, yes he did. He asked me to tell you should wear the," she fumbled a bit, searching for something on the pockets of her robe, and eventually found a small piece of parchment, which she opened, "ah yes, the service working dress while attending classes. He also said you were cleared to carry your holster, but no sword. All disciplinary actions shall be handled by him, too."

"All right, understood. Thank you Professor." he opened his schedule. "I guess we'll meet again Monday morning."

"That we will Mr. Potter I expect you to arrive on time. Since this is just your first week here, don't be afraid to ask for directions from the other fourth years, all right?"

The boy smiled. "I'll keep your advice in mind. Thanks."

The witch nodded in understanding and went back to the teacher's tables. Seizing the chance to study his schedule with more attention, Harry quickly noticed he would only have Potions on Wednesday. That would give him time to organize his notes and put in motion the trio's plan for the... Potions Master. Yes, Potions Master would fit as a name until Harry ascertained how the man saw him.

His planning was interrupted by Cedric's voice. "Harry, I think that someone that can help you with the rooms just entered the Hall," he said, waving to the pair of witches that was approaching the table, "you should remember them from yesterday, right?"

Harry turned his head towards the witches. "Ah, yes. A bit hard to remember Hannah, don't you think?"

Cedric stared at him blankly before remembering the conversation of the previous night. "Oh, right, I almost forgot about that."

Harry chuckled. "Good morning." he greeted the pair that sat right in front of them.

"Good morning Harry." the girls replied, preparing their breakfasts.

The elder champion gave him a meaningful look, but Harry just made a 'hold on' sign with his arms. There was no way he would disturb them while having their breakfast. He waited patiently, taking a small notebook and organizing a list of questions to ask to the teacher of each class he would be taking, occasionally asking Cedric about the professors.

After about thirty minutes or so, Harry finally had the chance to ask the girls about his primary issue at the moment. "Now that you already had your breakfast, could you help me with a small problem?"

The girls looked at him quizzically. "Sure, but what do you need?"

Harry showed them his schedule. "Professor Sprout gave me my class schedule and advised me to seek help from the fourth year Hufflepuffs, since I'll attend my classes with you."

Hannah nodded. "I see. So you need help to know how to get to the classrooms?"

"That's right. Of course, you're free to refuse, I don't want to be a burden." he added quickly, trying to make sure that he didn't want to impose on them.

Susan and Hannah exchanged glances before turning towards him once again. "Nonsense. If you're done with breakfast, we can give you a tour of the school right now."

"That would be excellent," Harry beamed, before turning to Cedric. "You'll be around for lunch, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be around. See you then." the sixth year grinned as Harry left with the two Hufflepuff witches. He idly wondered if the young Champion noticed that the girls had exchanged something beyond a mere glance when he asked them for a tour. Oh, this was going to be fun!

* * *

><p><strong>And now, we find ourselves at a crossroad. Primary pairing is HarryHannah, but now I give you two choices: **

**Keep it only Harry/Hannah, **

**or **

**Add Susan to the mix later. **

**It was bound to happen on one of my stories.  
><strong>

**Harry is the heir to the House of Potter, becoming Lord Potter on his 15th birthday, as the last of his line. The House of Black has him as the heir, but Sirius is still alive and capable of having children, so it is better to just ignore that line.**

**If Susan is added, and following the rule of 'one house, one wife', she would be able to enter as the heiress to the House of Bones, meaning Harry would become Lord Bones by marriage.**

**So I want your feedback: Harry/Hannah, or Harry/Hannah/Susan?**

**Please, review with your choice. I'll count the votes made until I post the next chapter,and then I'll announce the winning option.**

**Have Fun!**


	4. Fourteen Years Waiting

**Disclaimer: As usual.**

**Voting for the pairing is now CLOSED! The winner had 18 votes, with the second place coming with six, so far, far away... I guess you can get who was the lucky option if you take a fast look at the reviews. Don't worry, the losing option will have its own fic as well! ;)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**Hogwarts, Dungeons**

**.**

Harry knocked on the Potions Master's office door. He still had twenty minutes until his first Potions lesson, but he decided to play it safe and talk to him first.

"Come in." came the muffled reply from the room. Harry opened the door slowly and nodded towards the professor. "Mr. Potter, I believe you are too early for your lesson." the man observed dryly, making the teenager fight the urge to roll his eyes.

"I know that sir, but I have another issue that requires the input of a Potions Master."

This caught Severus' attention. "Is that so Mr. Potter? I was under the impression that your Academy had several Potions Masters."

"Yes, that is true, but the problem in my hands is something that made them advise me to get some more observations about it."

"Very well, Mr. Potter, have a seat, and explain to me what is your issue, then?"

Harry approached the chair right in front of him and placed several sheets of parchment on the table. "My education at the Academy includes a series of optional projects, to provide us with the proper certification in several specific areas to the Scholar level. I'm currently working on several projects, but the one that led me here today is the one related to Potions. I've been working on an alternative lubricant to use on aircraft, and since the engines are mostly mechanical, I've figured out a mix that can be used as an all-weather lubricant. The problem is, when the jet engine is working, it gets so hot that the potion clods, and I can't add any ingredients that increase heat resistance."

Severus checked the sheets of parchment that Harry handed him while he was exposing his problem, noting that the boy was not a dunderhead at all. "This work, Mr. Potter, if developed further, could be a solid basis for a Mastery. But regarding your problem, I can see this is going to be an interesting challenge. You are right when you say you can't add heat resistance with ingredients, so I guess your only chance is to use every single trick in the book at the same time, unless you decide to rework your potion completely."

The cadet nodded, understanding Snape's proposal. "So you think I should return to the list of possible combinations, and search for one that allows me to include heat resistance?"

"That is one possible alternative, Mr. Potter, and I advise you to forget about the lesser ingredients, as your working temperatures seem way too high for them to be of any use."

"I see. It is a shame that there's not an ingredient that could prevent the mixture to clod in the first place, though."

Snape tilted his head, deep in thought. "That, Mr. Potter, would require quite a bit of experimental work. However, it could open doors to new ingredient combinations that were never tried before."

"I remember reading something about it, related to healing curse scares. That's where I got this idea." Harry said, rubbing his chin with the tips of his fingers.

"Yes, that was an interesting article. But now," Snape said, silently casting a time spell, "you must go to the Potions classroom, as the lesson will start shortly.

The green-eyed wizard nodded, retrieving his research notes. "Thank you for your help, sir."

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Please, keep me updated on your findings, I must admit your project intrigued me."

"I will sir." the boy agreed, leaving the office.

Snape laid back on his chair, musing about the conversation he just had, letting his lips curl in a smile. 'He looks like Potter, but once he opens his mouth, he's all Lily. Looks like this year will be easier than I thought.' he thought, relieved with the fact he would have someone in his classroom that knew how to do things right, for a change.

**.**

**Hogwarts, Great Hall**

**.**

Some hours later, Harry was having dinner. However, other matters were on his mind.

"Harry?" Justin asked, noticing the teenager distractedly moving his food around the plate. "Is something the matter?"

"Hmm? Sorry, did you ask something?"

"Harry, you're zoning out there. What's the matter?"

The cadet shook his head. "I'm thinking about the Defence lesson. That Moody... something feels odd about him."

"Well, people say he's pretty much like this all the time." the Hufflepuff replied, "But there's something I found very strange. He showed us the Unforgivable Curses, and he seemed... I don't know... happy? That's not very normal for someone who hunts Dark Wizards."

Harry glared at his plate. "Not normal in the slightest, I agree. I recall hearing he did not have any qualms about killing back in the last war, but he abhorred the Unforgivables." he sighed tiredly "Or maybe I'm just getting paranoid."

"Yeah, maybe we're just seeing things. By the way, how did you get Snape to be nice to you? He's usually very... abrasive."

The Champion shrugged. "I talked to him about an Academy project I have, and his opinion of my work was very positive. It must have been that."

"Oh, so that's why you managed to brew today's potion so easily, right?"

Harry just smiled sheepishly. "Well, I did brew that potion before." he admitted.

"Yeah, right," chucked the other boy, "like that was the only reason."

"All right, you got me." the cadet conceded. "I spent the Summer after my first year training, that's the truth."

"Oh, I see... by the way, could you help me later with the Potions essay?"

"Sure, as long as you don't expect me to give you the answers..." Harry replied, eyeing sternly the other boy, who winced slightly.

"I won't." he replied, "I like to get the answers by myself."

"Uh..." Hannah interrupted the conversation, "is these space for one more?"

"Make that three. " added Susan, with MacMillan not far behind "Four!"

Harry sighed, thinking that Snape may kill him if he finds out. "All right, all right. How about tomorrow, before curfew?"

The four 'Puffs looked at each other and nodded. "It's fine for us."

"Excellent. Now can I get back to my dinner?"

**.**

**Hogwarts, Sleeping Quarters**

**.**

"Hello Harry. So, homework done?" asked Adam, sitting on the couch next to Harry's, and opening the book he was holding in his hand.

"Been done for a while now," the boy replied, turning a page of his own book, "now I'm just relaxing."

The Shadow Mirror commander glanced at Harry's book. "Relaxing with a Geology book?"

"You know me, I like to read about everything."

The former Hufflepuff said nothing, but coughed something similar to 'Kama Sutra'. Harry blushed brightly. "Okay, maybe not everything."

"Too bad, you could learn some things. Things that Sirius shouldn't teach you."

Harry snorted. "If you really think I'll ask Sirius for advice about... interactions with the fairer sex, then you're sorely mistaken. And it isn't like you know much about it, either. How about you get your rear end moving and seize the chance to spit it out to her?"

"Harry, it's not that easy... I've known her since we were little kids."

"Yes, I've heard that before, you grew up together, got sorted in different houses, but still managed to keep frequent contact until you went to the Shadow Mirrors and she went after her Mastery. Look, the point is, you have the hots for her, and I can't stand seeing you pining for her. Not when you're so close and you've waited for so long. You better get moving, and ask her to the Yule Ball when the time comes."

"You're lucky you're not in the Academy, or you'd get the punishment of your life."

Harry looked at his superior on the eyes. "If we were at the Academy, I'd tell you the exact same thing. And then I'd ask Remus and Sirius to keep nagging you. And you know how they get when we talk about this."

"It's not that easy, okay? We were away from each other. I know she never married, but I don't know if she has feelings for me."

"Why don't you ask her?" asked Remus, who had just entered the room and overheard Adam's comment.

"Oh, now there's two of you guys?" the blond complained, looking at them exasperatedly. "Why do people keep trying to give me advice about my love life?"

"Because you're always having moments where it seems that your head... or your heart, in this case, are far, far away." replied the former werewolf. "Besides, you saved our lives. If we need to poke to make sure you get the girl, we'll poke you with everything we've got."

"You're never going to leave me alone, will you?" Adam complained.

"Nope." replied happily the other two wizards. Harry looked at his watch. "And if you want us to leave you alone, you've got... around thirty minutes to do that."

Howlingdale looked at the teenager blankly, before he realized what he meant. "Promise you'll never bug me about this again?"

"If she says no, then we'll not bother you. If she says yes... well, we'll have to throw a party, won't we?"

Adam took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and resolutely got to his feet, grabbing his jacked from the coat hanger. "All right, all right. I'm going now, okay?" he said, staring at the other two wizards, who were beaming at him.

As the blond left the room, Remus and Harry traded knowing looks. "Are you thinking the same thing that I'm thinking?" asked the Marauder.

Harry gave him his most mischievous grin. "That's a very teenager thing to do. I'll get the Invisibility Cloak."

"Hey, once a Marauder, always a Marauder."

**.**

**Hogwarts, Astronomy Tower**

**.**

Inside her office, Aurora Sinistra was a troubled witch. The arrival of the Fourth Champion has turned her heart inside out.

Oh, it had nothing to do with the boy himself. He was polite and knew his way around the sky, from what she saw on her class with him. The true problem was his superior officer.

Adam. Their paths split a long time ago, when he decided to heed the call to forge a better future and she decided to follow her dream of knowing the skies like the back of her ebony hand.

He was a Hufflepuff, she was one of the few Slytherins that minded their own business and ignored the blood-purists that would eventually become the Death Eaters.

She saw the whole Wizarding War as something futile, an attempt to prove a concept that was inherently flawed. Purity of blood, ridiculous. Magical pureblood families always had a pair of Muggleborns as the founders, even if the history of that family was lost on the mists of time. The first magical, the first person capable to harness the power that flowed inside his or her veins, surely had Muggle parents.

And even now, after many generations where the Squibs were cast out of the family, the witch was pretty sure more then 90% of the Muggle population had magical genes, even if they weren't able to harness the power that came with those genes. She was a pureblood, yes, and her family always chose pureblood magicals to marry with, but that was just a coincidence, although the wizards and witches from the Sinistra line could proudly say that they were safe from the blatant inbreeding that most of the older British families showed. Her grandparents came from Aurelia, running from the magical civil war that raged on that country on the latter half of the 19th Century. Eventually, they established themselves near Dover, and their kids married with some light and neutral families, like the Shacklebolts. Of course, since they were relatively unknown on Wizarding Britain and were a pureblooded family, they managed to survive the war without any losses.

The ebony-skinned professor shook her head, returning her thoughts to her current issue. She had pretty much lost contact with him, apart from the occasional letter that was sent and replied to. And even those letters were but a shadow of what she wanted to say to him.

She knew that the chair next to hers on the Great Hall was for the representative of the fourth school, but when she noticed that Adam was the representative... her heart was torn between stopping and fluttering. Part of her was ecstatic, while the other part was fearing she would screw things up.

She didn't. While things were not perfect, they still managed to talk without falling into uncomfortable subjects or pauses. It was a small victory, but Aurora knew that this time, she shouldn't leave things unsaid.

The woman shook her head, getting to her feet and leaving her office. Maybe a short walk before class would give her an idea to deal with this. She wasn't even ten steps away from the door when he showed up, but this time, her heart instantly chose to flutter. "Adam? What are you doing here?"

The blond breathed deeply, before approaching her. "I've come... I've come because I wanted to talk to you."

Aurora wondered if this was going to be something good or something bad. Adam's face was fairly neutral, and she couldn't make heads or tails off it. "I have a little while before my class, so go ahead."

"All right... I don't know how to explain this to you... It has been a while since we saw each other, but I... Merlin, this sounds creepy. I... uh..." he waved his arms in frustration, trying to express his thoughts. "Okay, here it goes: I love you. I love you since we were on our fifth year, and I never had the courage to tell you this when we were studying here. Then we went our separate ways, but my feelings didn't change all this time. That's it. I know you probably don't feel the same way, but I needed to tell you this so I can settle this feeling... and a certain pair of wizards would not leave me alone until I said this to you."

The witch just stared at the soldier, watching as he confessed his feelings while acting like the boy she loved. She wanted to say something, to tell him his feelings were not unrequited, but she couldn't even utter a single word. She needed to make him know, before he turned his back and walked away. That's when she realized there was nothing to be said, that actions were the only possible reply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him without hesitation. Much to the surprise (and joy) of the blond.

On the nearest corner, hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Remus and Harry grinned at each other, before leaving the two lovebirds alone. They've seen what they wanted to see, there's no need to stay there any more.

The couple kept kissing for a while longer, relishing the moment, now that they weren't running circles around each other. They eventually broke up the kiss, staring at each other in the eye and grinning happily.

"I want to talk to you, but there's no time right now. I was wondering if you could wait two hours or so, or if you'd rather talk tomorrow." she asked, pulling him close.

"After this, I don't think I could sleep without talking to you. I'll wait."

The witch winked at him, and nodded towards her office's door. "Wait inside my office, you'll be more comfortable." she said, taking her arms off him. "I guess we could have done this sooner and spare more than a decade of longing for each other."

Adam chucked ruefully. "We hesitated too much back then. I remember five or six occasions where I thought about telling you, but I never had the courage for that..."

"It's a good thing that you found your courage now, then." she smiled, kissing him once again.

Two hours and a half later, Adam and Aurora were snuggling on the sofa. "This feels good." she said, resting her head on his chest. "So, what have you done all these years? Other than your job, that is."

"Well, I've been raising Harry with Remus and Sirius, and took a few Masteries along the way."

"So Mr. Potter lives with you?"

"Yeah," the Hufflepuff replied. "for almost ten years, now. I was after Greyback's pack... or its remnants, with a couple of Osean friends. That's where I met Remus and Harry. Turns out Greyback was after the kid, and Remus stopped him dead, literally. The rest of the pack stepped forward and the three of us decided to handle it. After that, we requested Harry's custody, since we knew his relatives weren't treating him the way they should, and he has been tagging along since then. Best experience on raising little kids ever."

"I can see that." she chuckled, remembering how polite the boy seemed to be. "Anyway, you mentioned something about Masteries?"

"Yeah, I took... six of them. I felt like I needed to know more, so I just started working on it. Arithmancy, Defence, Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions... being an ICW operative made things pretty easy, and those 14 years helped too. I just got the Potions Mastery two months ago."

"That is quite a resume, but no Astronomy?" she teased.

"... I couldn't bear to watch the stars knowing you were far away." he admitted quietly. The Astronomy squeezed his hand. "Sorry," she said, "I should have figured that."

Adam, however, laughed. "No need to apologize. We're here now, together, right?"

"Yes, from now on we're together, no matter the distance..."

"Right." the wizard agreed, "And I can still take the Astronomy Mastery, too. What do you think?"

"As long as you let me help you in your studies..." the ebony-skinned witch replied, lifting her head and fixing her brown eyes on his malachite-green ones.

The man smiled roguishly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Oh yes, your help is _very_ appreciated." he purred, much to the amusement of his now girlfriend.

"Good, but that's a story for another time, because for now, I want to spend some quality time with my man."

"Your wish is my command, love." he replied, just before her lips touched his for another passionate kiss, which wouldn't surely be the last of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Another chapter, this time with Adam solving some long-time issues... and Aurora getting some much-deserved love. I wonder why people keep pairing her with Snape? No complaints about that, I just wonder why do they mostly choose that pairing.<strong>

**Well, see you next chapter!**


	5. Discoveries and Suspicions

**Disclaimer: Apart from the OC's, I own nothing. Sorry for the delay, but I finally finished college (and had writer's block)!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**Hogwarts, Sleeping Quarters.**

**.**

"No!" Harry said, as he suddenly woke up, startled. He blinked, confused, as he slowly remembered he was at Hogwarts, not on that hell hole once again. Shaking his head, he got to his feet and walked towards the window, sitting on the stone floor right next to it.

He took a quick glance at his wrist, not remembering he took off his watch every night. Sighing, he cast a wandless time charm, one of those useful tricks he learned at the Academy, and rested his back against the cold wall. Sunrise was still some hours away, and he knew he wouldn't be able to have any more sleep this night. It had happened before, and it would happen again.

"Damn it." he grumbled, eyeing the moonlit landscape, eerily quiet. No birds in the air yet, predators were hunting deep in the forest… an orange flash among the trees…

'Wait, what?' he thought, focusing on the place where he saw the orange flash. Another flash appeared, moments later. Harry frowned, wondering about the responsible behind those flashes.

"Hang on… " he said, walking towards his backpack and recovering his binoculars, a gift from his last birthday. Returning to the window, he checked the forest near the flash location, hoping so see something. "Ah, another flash," the boy muttered, "are those… flames?"

His mind was now racing. 'Could it be?' he mused, as the dots connected on his mind. 'Sure, it would be a sloppy mistake, to let things be discovered like that, but… Still, if that's what I think it is, then this task may have become easier.'

The green-eyed teenager got to his feet and started walking around the room, trying to sort his thoughts about this latest discovery. 'All right, chances are, we're facing dragons. I'll take a peek about it in the library when morning comes. Now, if they are stupid enough to ask us to fight a dragon head-on, what would I need to make sure I don't come out as a magical barbecue? I guess I should mirror the Gadgeteers…'

He moved towards his backpack, this time to recover the mirror, before remembering something else. 'Hmm, they're ten hours ahead… I wonder if their lunch break is over already…'. Harry grabbed the mirror and sat on the bed, thinking on what to do for a moment, before shrugging. "Aloysius!" he called, waiting for his friend on the other side to answer.

**.**

**Allenfort Air Base, Cadet Common Room.**

**.**

"Eh? Who might be calling?" Aloysius Nerosangue asked, finding a smiling Harry Potter on the mirror. "Harry! How are you man!" he said enthusiastically, attracting the attention of the nearby cadets.

"Everything's fine here Aloysius," the green-eyed teenager replied, "but I'll need the help of the Gadgeteers."

"Sure thing Harry." the boy replied, "What do you need, exactly?"

"Well, do you remember those shields of yours? Can you make them larger and able to withstand dragon fire?"

"Well, the basics are there, I just need to adjust the rune arrays and Bob's your uncle… hang on, dragons?" he asked, eyes widening, "Harry, you're kidding, right? They wouldn't…"

"Well, I may be wrong. After all, a flash of fire was all that I saw," Harry admitted, "but I think both of us can agree that those nutters are perfectly capable of that. After all, if the Triwizard once had a Cockatrice as one of the tasks, what are a few dragons to them? It's not like they're the ones that aren't even out of school and have to face a being that usually take a group of wizards to subdue…"

"Those idiots!" spat Nerosangue, his dark eyes narrowing, "Were they dropped on their heads when they were little or something? Does the Major-General know about that?"

Harry sighed. "I haven't asked him yet. I know that the Champions are not supposed to receive any support from their professors, though, so he might have chosen to say nothing."

"Yes, I understand, but still… dragons! What kind of sick task they have in mind that involves dragons? Can't you throw the jury into the ring and let THEM check if they can accomplish the task themselves?"

The green-eyed laughed at his friend's suggestion. "That's a good idea, but they'll probably ward their stand to prevent stuff like that. Anyway, I have one week, can you do it?"

"One week?" Nerosangue replied with a grin. "I can send it for delivery in five days. How many do you need?"

"Two of them, I'll have a user for both of them." Harry smiled. "Thanks for the help, friend. You just made my life easier."

"Hey, you're in need, and I can help." was the energetic reply, "There's no way I'll leave you hanging. I've got to go now, lunch break is over. Show them what we're all about Harry."

"I will, Aloyisius." the green-eyed cadet agreed with a resolute nod as his friend's face vanished from the mirror. "I will."

**.**

**Hogwarts, Great Hall**

**.**

"Good morning Harry."

"Good morning Cedric. Already awake? That's not usual." Harry said, sitting on the spot in front of the older champion

The Hufflepuff shrugged. "Had to check a book on Charms for my homework. Anyway, I was hardly the first person there. Krum was already checking a pile of books, and that pile was quite big. Quite strange, if you ask me."

"Hmmm… did you manage to see what the books were about?" the cadet replied, slicing some fruits to add to his usual breakfast.

"Yeah, they seemed to be about dragons, why do you ask?" Cedric asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So he knows." Harry muttered, signalling Cedric to get his head closer to him. "Listen, my room has a good view to the Forbidden Forest. Last night, I couldn't sleep, and decided to spend some time looking at the view… I saw a flash of fire deep in the forest. I had my suspicions, but now that you told me that Krum is studying dragons, I'm sure of it. The First Task will involve dragons somehow." he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Dragons? And how did Krum learn about this?" Cedric asked, surprised.

"While the rules keep teachers from helping their students… well, you know how some people say that it's cheating only if you're caught, don't you?"

The older teenager nodded, understand Harry's meaning. "I see, so you think Krum had help from Karkaroff?"

"I'm pretty sure of it, but I don't care about that. The only thing that worries me right now is a giant, fire-belching being that we may have to face from some so-called 'eternal glory'."

"Yeah," the Hufflepuff agreed, "that's a very good reason to become worried. At least I have a clue to start working on something for the First Task… thanks. "

Harry shook his head. "You don't have to thank me, just make sure you come out of that mess alive. It's one of the things my superiors put in our heads when it comes to fights. 'There's only one ultimate rule in war: Survive.'" he quoted, earning a strange look from Cedric. "What? Is this that strange to you?"

The Hogwarts champion shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just… well, I never expected someone around my age to say that."

The green-eyed cadet shrugged. "I'm just parroting what was said to me by the veterans. The fact is, most of us won't realize how important this little piece of wisdom is until they find themselves in a life or death situation. And those who fail to realize it then, will probably die."

Cedric winced. "Harry, do you really have to put it so bluntly?"

Harry turned his head towards his plate. "After what I've seen… let's just say death can be that blunt as well." he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, how are your classes going? With the Triwizard, things are bound to change a bit, right?"

"Yeah," the older boy sighed, "my free time's gone! Even with Quidditch, I had a bit of time for myself, but now? I do my homework and then I check for spells that might be useful for the Tournament. Still, I'm not giving up."

"That's the spirit!" Harry encouraged, "We're all on the same boat, so I guess the only thing to do now is to see things to the end."

"Yeah… by the way, what are you planning to use against the dragon?" Cedric inquired, receiving only a grin from Harry. "That, Cedric, would be telling, don't you think so? But I'll use something a friend of mine made."

"All right, all right." the Hufflepuff conceded his defeat. "I'll wait to see it, then. But you better show something cool!"

"Oh believe me. It will turn heads for sure. Speaking of which, that something I asked my friend? I asked another one for you, just in case."

The older boy frowned, uncomfortable. "Harry…"

"Cedric, you know what I think about this. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons probably had enough time to counter a dragon properly, but the two of us don't have the luxury of time. Just accept my help and shut up. If the jury complains… well, I'm pretty sure one of the members will support us."

"Fine, you win ." the Hogwarts Champion sighed, notably uncomfortable, "can you at least explain to me what that 'help' does?"

Harry nodded. "Sure. It's a flame resistant shield. It was made to withstand very high temperatures, not to mention it can bend the flames away from the user. If the dragon spits fire, just use the shield and get the hell away. Of course, it would be better if you didn't have to use it at all, but…"

"Better safe than sorry, I know." Cedric finished Harry's thoughts. "Don't think I'm not thankful, it's just the fact that you helped me twice in fifteen minutes already, and I have nothing to show."

"Well," Harry said, "do you have any fields you are comfortable with?"

"I do know a good bit about Transfiguration, but why do you ask?"

"I'm not as far as you in transfiguration, so I'd be thankful if you gave me a few tips on it. And before you ask, no, I'm not planning to use it on this task."

The brunet nodded. "That's only one thing to repay your favours, but it's a start."

"Sweet. Say, tomorrow after dinner?"

Cedric nodded. "That sounds good to me."

Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Hannah and Susan, who sat in the spots right next to Harry's left. "Hi Harry, hi Cedric!" the girls said, smiling to the boys.

"Hello Hannah, Susan. You're up early, eh?" replied Harry.

"Yeah, Hannah here was in a rush for something." Susan replied, eyeing her blonde friend.

To her credit, Hannah didn't lose her composure, and smirked at her redheaded friend. "I don't remember hearing any complaints from you, Susie dear." she stated, much to the boys' amusement.

Susan, just shook her head smiling. "Hearing you talk like that, they'd think you were the one that always woke up earlier."

"Yet I always find you lying in your bed." Hannah retorted.

Susan chuckled. "Yeah right, like I would leave my warm bed when you were still asleep."

"You have a point there." the blonde conceded. "Anyway, to other things. Are you ready for another day of lessons, Harry?"

"As ready as I can be." the raven-haired teenager replied. "I'm used to wake up early, so I'm not sleepy when we come to breakfast. That helps a lot, you know."

"Uh… Harry, how early are you talking about?" Hannah asked slowly.

"Oh, I'm usually all set for classes by 7PM. That includes my morning exercise, showering… I wake up around 6AM."

"That's… really early. But then again, it must be a routine for you right now. Dad wakes up around 7AM, and he says he's getting soft… I guess I know now what he meant with that. Waking up at 6AM here…"

Harry shrugged. "Heierlark has a similar weather, only with more snow and rain. After being there for a year, you get used to any cold weather you might find out there."

The other three nodded, impressed. "I don't think I could get used to it." admitted Cedric.

"Oh, I thought the same the first time I went there. Two months later you're already used to it. The food, on the other hand… Osean Air Defence Force pilots say Heierlark and its horrible food are already a part of the new recruits' training. I think that after tasting that food, no recruit will ever complain of the taste of the MRE's. At least that's how I felt."

"Yeah… we'd better change subject before I lose my appetite." said Hannah, stating to look slightly green.

"Yeah, I guess that's the best thing to do right now." agreed Harry. "So, History of Magic… yeah, this is going to be a long morning. Another episode of Goblin Wars: The only thing that Cuthbert Binns remembers."

"I find it amazing that you even remember his first name." Cedric said, "I forgot it two weeks after I had my first class with him."

The green-eyed cadet shook his head in amusement, and watched as the owls swoop in to deliver the Daily Prophet. He had his own subscription, of course, to keep in touch with the events on magical Britain. This summer had been very unsettling for him. 'With the incident at the World Cup and all the random happenings that are reported…' he thought, as he opened the newspaper, sighing as he saw the headline.

"Another strange event." he said distractedly, attracting the attention of the other three students.

"Hmm? What do you mean with that, Harry?" Susan asked, noticing then the headline on the Prophet. "Oh." she simply said, frowning. "Another one. Auntie didn't have a quiet moment since the World Cup."

"Madam Bones is the Head of the DMLE, right?" Harry asked, eyeing the redhead. "Are things as bad as they seem there?"

Susan shrugged. "She doesn't really talk about it, but I noticed that she was very tired before coming to Hogwarts. I understand that she had to handle the problems in the World Cup, but then this series of incidents started to happen. Before I came to Hogwarts, she left before I woke up and returned after I went to bed. I'm worried about her, to be honest. We Hufflepuffs don't fear hard work, but there's a limit for everything, and with Fudge sticking his head on the sand regarding the DMLE budget…"

"I agree with you," said Harry. "after all, Britain is something of a joke among the ICW… and I guess I could say among the Shadow Mirrors as well."

"Why?" asked Hannah, delicately brushing her lips against the napkin.

"Well, there's the fact the Britain still believes on that blood supremacy crap, then we have Voldemort, who is a product of that… it seems that Britain is unable to learn with their own mistakes. Those are the issues on the ICW side. On the Shadow-Mirror side? Two words: Sirius Black. When the last war ended, Bartemius Crouch did a real good job of sending people to jail without trials. How he's still on the Ministry after that fiasco and finding out his own son was a Death Eater eludes us. I do not look forward to see the Major-General and Crouch meeting again. I heard they were close to hexing each other on the last time they were on the same room."

"I wonder who would win." quipped Cedric, "I met Crouch once or twice when he visited my father. He seems too hard headed to admit he's wrong."

"I'd put my money on the Major-General. He fights like a possessed man, Crouch would be a bloodstain on the wall before he could even utter a spell."

"He's that good?" asked Cedric, eyeing the man, who had arrived a while ago and was now taling with the Astronomy Professor.

"Well, let's say that he wouldn't be on the top of the chain of command if he wasn't a good fighter."

The three Hufflepuffs seemed impressed. "Wow… hey, is he grabbing Professor Sinistra's hand?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, they had a history back when they were both studying here. About time they got it straight, if you ask me."

"Uh, Harry? Won't you get in trouble, talking like that about your superior officer?" Hannah asked slowly, remembering something her father said.

The boy laughed, winking at the blonde. "Only if I was on duty, and even so, he'd have to catch me on the act. Oh, he's looking at me!" he said, grinning at Adam.

On the teacher's table, Adam shook his head, amused. "He's having fun at my expense. Cheeky brat."

"I suppose he does that often?" Aurora asked, watching the amused looks between the soldier and the cadet.

"He does. He's been raised with Remus, Sirius and I, so when we're not on duty we're just a normal family."

"Who would tell that Gryffindors like Lupin and Black would settle down raising a child with you…"

Adam sighed, remembering darker times. "IT was a rough time for them both… Remus was lost, trying to find something to move on with his life after James Potter was killed. Sirius… well, I may have bailed him out of Azkaban, but that doesn't mean he didn't get any scars from those times. Even now, when things are quiet, he gets this strange look every once in a while. He still blames himself for letting that traitor into the secret. I decided to get them something to do on the Shadow Mirrors, something to make them think about the present, and as you can see, it worked. Remus being free of his lycanthropy helped a lot, too."

The astronomy teacher shook her head, blinking. "Come again? Lupin was a werewolf? And how did he get rid of it?"

Adam smiled. "Yes, he was. Remember when I said that we found Harry and Remus when we went hunting for Greyback? Well, Remus almost died there. I had read something about it before, and I checked the book again after that day. It seems that when a werewolf is near death, sometimes he finds himself in a trial against his wolf side. Winning that trial means the lycanthropy curse is lifted, but he retains the physical abilities of a werewolf on his human form. That's what happened to Remus. I saw him rise after his Trial, and if you think a werewolf's scary, then you never saw him when he sets his mind on something."

His girlfriend shook her head. "That doesn't sound like Lupin at all. He was always so quiet on classes…"

The blond shrugged. "Something changed on that day. I was surprised too, but I didn't mind. After all, he seemed happier."

"I see your point. Will you be busy today? Grading assignments is boring, and I could use some good company."

"Well, there's some paperwork to do, but if you have a little space on your office, I can handle it there."

Aurora smiled. "Sounds good, how about starting right after breakfast? With any luck, we might have some time for ourselves before dinner."

**.**

**Hogwarts, Sleeping Quarters.**

**.**

Harry Potter felt that something weird was going on.

It had started after the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, when Moody called him and asked if he had any idea about what to do for the First Task. Harry assured him he had a plan, but Moody advised him to 'play to his strengths'. And that event, on the cadet's mind, was a very fishy one.

'Sure, father was an Auror in the time Moody was active, but I don't see him speaking to other people that had people on the Aurors during the First War. Why me?' he inquired in his mind, trying to find the right pieces of this puzzle. He felt that something was off, something that he couldn't put his finger into.

Could it be that Moody found the other schools were cheating, and wanted to give a hand? That sounded plausible. After all, Karkaroff was a former Death Eater, if there was something as a former 'Death Eater'. Then again, the man sold a number of his comrades just to save his own skin.

"Were it so easy…" he muttered. Moody might be paranoid, but he wasn't stupid.

A voice shook him out of his thoughts. "What did you say, Harry?"

The cadet turned his head, seeing Remus by the door, hanging his jacket on the coat hanger. "Oh, hi. I was just wondering about something."

"Well, care to share it with an old wolf like me?" Lupin asked, sitting on one of the couches.

Harry sighed, running one hand across his hair. "It's Moody. He sounds fishy to me." Remus said nothing, but a slight nod indicated Harry he was waiting for details. "It all started in the class he showed us the Unforgivables. The look on his face when he was showing them… It doesn't fit what you told me about him. And then, when his class with us ended today, he called me and asked if I had a plan for the First Task."

The former werewolf straightened his back. "He did what?"

"Sounds weird, doesn't it?" asked Harry. "Oh, and by the way, the people doing the Triwizard should hide their dragons better. I could see the flashes of fire on the forest from my room."

"We were only warned yesterday about it. Someone 'forgot' to tell us about it. Adam is going to have some 'words' with Crouch about that. Anyway, good eyes Harry. I assume you already have a plan, then?" Remus said, mentally sighing in relief. Harry wouldn't be going in blind.

"Yeah, I do. And about Adam… will he need a second for his 'words' with Crouch? Or maybe someone to clean Crouch's remains?" Harry grinned mischievously. He knew the details behind the imprisonment of his godfather, and there was no way he would forgive the man for not giving a fair trial to Sirius.

"I don't think Adam will kill him… yet. I don't think Crouch will come out of there unharmed, even if the injuries are only to his ego. I caught Adam practising the Flatulence Hex." the Colonel replied with a chuckle. Howlingdale had a pretty mean streak, sometimes.

"I do hope he talks with Crouch before dinner, then." Harry mused, his smile growing to feral proportions.

"Knowing Adam like we do? Oh, he will. I wouldn't be around Crouch when he goes for his dinner… thank Merlin he isn't at Hogwarts, too."

"Yeah, that's true. And I think Adam should add a _Sonorus_ charm, for good measure."

Harry's guardian blinked for a few moments, before realizing what Harry meant. "Oh, that's just nasty! You've been spending too much time with Sirius, haven't you?"

"Well, fart jokes is his area of specialization." Harry admitted, right when Adam was entering the quarters after escorting Professor Sinistra to her office. "Talking about Sirius?" the man asked, grinning.

"Well, that's kinda obvious." Remus stated, shaking his head. "I told Harry what you were doing the other day. He suggested adding a _Sonorus_."

"Hmm, I like the sound of that." said Adam, grinning. "Serves the old bastard right, too."

"Happy to help." Harry replied. "Oh, and I know about the dragons, too. Teach them to hide their surprises better. They'll have a surprise on the First Task."

"Heh, I wouldn't expect anything less from you Harry." the former Hufflepuff smiled. "Now excuse me, I have to write a report to the Security Council. Don't forget about your homework, Harry."

The boy's eyes widened. "Bugger! I forgot about that." he cursed, running to his bedroom, causing the two adults to chuckle.

"Adam, Harry and I were talking before you arrived. He thinks there's something wrong about Moody, and I must admit his reasoning sounds good. Could you ask someone to take a look at it discreetly?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Adam agreed, "I'll send a word to Vindel. It's a good thing Moody is here , though. Could you make something like that little map you guys had on your school days?"

Remus scratched his chin, thinking. "I guess I could, and it could be improved to track certain people… it will take some time to remember all the charms, but it's doable."

"Then you better start working, right?"

"Yes, you're right. I'll mirror Sirius to ask for the notebooks on that. Have fun with your report." Remus grinned, as he evaded Adam's thrown pillow and rand to the bedroom. However, the same thing was on the two soldier's minds: There was a strong chance that Harry's forced participation on the Triwizard was just the tip of the iceberg. A very dark iceberg.

* * *

><p><strong>And things get stormier... next chapter, the First Task!<strong>


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